


Back to You

by kathrynjt



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 22:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8263006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathrynjt/pseuds/kathrynjt
Summary: Demora was born while Hikaru was on the Enterprise's five year mission. Here's how that went down. And, before you ask, yes. I did take that title from the One Direction song because, hey, it was stuck in my head and it kind of fit.Based on a headcanon by ofnyota.tumblr.com





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, some backstory. I started writing this a month or two ago in the evenings with no real plan as to how or when it was going to finish. The evenings turned into the early hours of the morning. I can write okay at midnight, maybe even at 1, but once it reaches 2am, then eventually 4am, boy can you tell. So just bear that in mind as you read this. Also the timing doesn't quite line up with Beyond so I suppose this is sort of an AU.
> 
> Roughly 2250 words

Ben’s sister was seven months pregnant when Hikaru set off on the Enterprise’s five year mission. She had offered to be the pair’s surrogate; an offer which neither Ben nor Hikaru could pass up.

Hikaru was devastated when he received the news of the mission. Sure, he loved space and he loved the crew, and he couldn’t wait to explore foreign planets, he just wished that could all happen later. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Ben, he couldn’t bare to see the look on his face.

 

“Ben,” he had said, eating dinner with his husband that night.

Ben hummed, a mouthful of food preventing him from saying any actual words.

“I’m going on a five year mission.”

Ben stopped eating. He swallowed what food was in his mouth, his eyes devoid of emotion. “You’re what?”

“It’s not something I have a choice in, I have to go.” Hikaru reached across the table, taking Ben’s hand in his. “We’ll still be able to talk most days, and we take shore leave every so often, so I’ll be able to see you and the kid as soon as she’s old enough to travel off-planet.”

Ben squeezed Hikaru’s hand tightly. “When do you leave?” It looked as though Ben was on the brink of tears.

“Next month.”

“You’re not gonna be there.” With that, a tear strayed from Ben’s eye. “You’re not gonna be there when she’s born.”

“I know,” Hikaru was on the verge of crying too, now. “I know.”

Ben stood up from his seat, walking over to Hikaru. He pulled his husband up and held him in his arms. They stayed like that for a while.

 

A month later, Hikaru’s friends and family were waving him off teary-eyed as he climbed aboard the Enterprise.

Hugs and kisses for his mother and father; hugs and jokes for his friends and cheek kisses, tummy pats and “you be careful”s for Ben’s sister.

Hikaru held Ben for what seemed like an eternity.

“Be safe up there, don’t let Jim get you killed.” Ben was only half joking when he said that.

“Be safe down here, take good care of the kid.”

The two exchanged all the “be safe”s and all the “I love you”s they could think of.

As soon as Hikaru let go, it felt as though he hadn’t held Ben for nearly long enough.

“Karu, let’s go!” An excited Russian accent called from behind him.

“Hey, Pav,” Hikaru smiled as he turned around. “One more minute.”

Pavel nodded quickly, unable to contain his excitement.

“I’ll call you whenever I get the chance, okay? I don’t care if I haven’t stopped working for twelve hours straight, I’ll still call you.” Hikaru was getting nervous now, Ben could tell.

“And I’ll pick up every time, I promise.” Ben pressed a kiss against his husband’s forehead. “You’ll get bored of hearing me, I’ll talk to you so much.”

Hikaru laughed, “Sure I will.” He took a breath and stepped back. “I’ll see you soon, Ben. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, my love.”

After series of final goodbyes,take care of yourselves and bye-bye babys, Hikaru finally turned back to Pavel. “Let’s go.”

Hikaru lost count of how many times he turned back and waved to everyone on the way to the ship.

 

Nearly a whole month into the mission, Hikaru woke up in the middle of the night to his video display beeping. Tired and comfy, he nearly ignored it- that was until he saw the name on the screen. He jumped right out of bed and fumbled his way to the answer button.

“Do you know what time it is up here?” He giggled.

“It’s happening!” Ben exclaimed, completely ignoring his husband’s joke.

“Right now?” Hikaru squealed.

“Well, baby’s not coming out right now, no, but we’re in the hospital. I’m getting myself a snack, it’s 8 in the morning down here and I haven’t eaten yet- what time is it up there?”

“There’s no time up here, it’s just… bedtime.”

Ben nodded. “Do you think it’d be a good idea to go wake up Pav? You look like you’re about to burst, you should squeeze his hand or somethin’.” His words were slurred, presumably from sleep deprivation. Hikaru thought it was cute.

“Yeah, yeah maybe,” he checked his clock to see how long he’d been asleep for. “I’ve only been out for like an hour, idiot’s probably still awake. I’ll be back in a sec babe.”

Ben stifled a laugh, not wanting to spit his sandwich everywhere and waved Hikaru away.

Hikaru cringed at how loud his doors opened, worrying he’d wake someone up- it reminded him of trying not to wake up his roommate while sneaking back into his dorm after seeing Ben back at Starfleet.  
He crept up the hallway and tapped on Pavel’s door. He let himself in upon hearing a grunt from the other side of the door.

“Pasha, the baby’s coming.” Hikaru whispered, the door still wide open behind him.

Pavel shoved his book under his pillow, “what are you doing here then, come on!” He took Hikaru’s hand and pulled him back to his room.

The two sat down on the bed, a little cramped, but too excited to care.

“Hello, Ben!” Pavel hollered at the screen, making Ben and his sister jump.

“Hey, Pav, tone it down, you scared me half to death there,” Ben chuckled.

“Sorry,” Pavel whispered. “Hello Ben’s sister, you’re doing good.” Pavel gave her a thumbs up. He could feel Hikaru’s leg bouncing nervously against his own. “So are you,” he wrapped his arm around his best friend, holding him close.

A few hours worth of heavy breathing, groans and tight hand holding from both sides of the video call, the baby had been born.

“Oh my god, Hika, she’s beautiful.” Ben was in awe of the tiny baby. One of the nurses handed the baby to him. “Hello…”

Hikaru was holding Pavel’s hand so tightly that it could’ve fallen off at any moment. “Let me see her properly, then!”

The same nurse brought the camera closer to Ben and the baby, who were sat on the hospital bed. Ben’s sister looked unbelievably tired, yet so in love and so proud at the same time.

“She is beautiful.” Hikaru wiped away a stray tear, “I wish I was there to see her properly.”

“Pavel, give him a big hug and a kiss right now.” Ben joked, but Pavel did it anyway.

“Aye aye, captain.” He hugged Hikaru with all the energy he had left in him and planted a dainty kiss on his forehead. “You’ll be there eventually.”

Hikaru nodded, a small smile gracing his face.

“What’s her name?” Pavel asked.

“Is it settled?” Hikaru asked Ben, his smile growing.

“It’s settled. Her name’s Pavela.”

“Oh! That’s… that’s not how Russian names really work, the feminine version-”

“He’s joking.” Hikaru whispered, making Pavel blush bright red. “Her name’s Demora.”

“Okay, that’s definitely better than Pavela,” Pavel giggled. Suddenly realising the time, he jolted upright. “I should get to sleep now, I’ll let you two say your goodbyes.” Pavel waved goodbye to everybody, ruffling Hikaru’s hair as he pulled himself off of the bed. “Sleep tight, papa.”

 

The next morning brought little work and a lot of celebration; Pavel had told the whole bridge crew to get to their stations early and congratulate Hikaru. The rest of the day wasn’t much different. What would’ve been a slow and somewhat uneventful day was instead packed to the brim with excitement.

 

Hikaru and Ben spoke almost everyday, just as they had done before Demora was born, but now the crew were a regular occurrence.

Pavel was always trying to make her laugh.  
Spock critiqued Ben’s parenting, giving him tips on how to hold Demora and whatnot.  
Nyota tried to get her to say “auntie Nyota.” It never worked, Demora wasn’t even three months old yet.  
Bones gave Ben a few pointers on keeping her happy and healthy, and he always seemed less grumpy on the days he’d seen Demora.  
Keenser didn’t say much, but he did make a few happy sounds when Demora did something cute. She seemed scared of him.  
Jim was just like Pavel; trying to make her laugh all the time (even when Hikaru was having a normal conversation with Ben right to him).  
Scotty was in love. Utterly in love and constantly in awe of her.

The crew became less frequent as the months went on. Both Ben and Hikaru were thankful for this.

 

Milestones were always hard.

When Demora turned 6 months old, Hikaru spoke to Ben for 3 hours, crying for at least 1 of them. Demora slept through the whole call.

7 months was easier, somehow. Both Hikaru and Ben shed a few tears, but they were nothing compared to the last month.

9 months brought with it minimal tears- and they were tears of laughter anyway; Demora had had an accident on Ben’s lap.

“You see, that is the only reason I’m glad I’m not down there.” Hikaru had wheezed between his laughing fit.

10 and 11 months were fine and happy. Hikaru even saw Demora’s first steps in between them.

Her first birthday was the hardest milestone yet.

There was no way for Hikaru to send Demora a gift, but the crew hadn’t taken shore leave in a few months, so he didn’t have anything to send her anyway.

All of Hikaru’s friends and family were at his daughter’s birthday party. He’d spoken to all of them since he’d been on the mission, but not at the same time; it felt nice to see them all in the same room together.

The bridge crew, Scotty, Bones and Keenser had all squeezed into Hikaru’s room and were eating a cake Jim had baked specially. It wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t total crap either. It certainly made a change to everyone’s usual (fairly) healthy diet.

Eventually, though, everybody had to get back to the bridge. Somebody had taken Hikaru’s place as pilot for the day, leaving him to enjoy his time with his husband and daughter.

 

“We miss you down here.”  
“Are you having fun up there?”  
“You’d better be being safe.”

Everyone’s attention had turned to Hikaru while Demora was napping.

 

Everybody back on Earth had to go home too, eventually.

 

Hikaru had been holding back tears for a long time. Ben noticed.

“Hika, you can cry if you need to. I miss you so much sometimes that I have to put Dem to bed and let it all out. I wish you were down here with me, I want to be able to hold you in my arms, I want you to help with Dem, I want you two to know each other properly, I want to be able kiss you whenever I want… I miss you so much, Hika, but we’ve gotta power through this alright? We’ve already got through over a year, just two more and then Dem and I can meet you on shore leave, yeah?” The two of them were crying- not bawling, but not just sniffling either.

 

A few months later, Ben looked the most excited he had been since Demora’s birthday.

“Watch this, okay?” He’d said to Hikaru. “Demora, who’s that?” He pointed to the screen. Demora looked confused. “That’s daddy.”

“Da.” Demora gurgled. Hikaru’s face lit up. He was about to speak, but Ben shushed him.

“That’s daddy. Da-ddy.” Ben whispered, holding her tiny hand in his.

“Daddy.” Demora, again, gurgled.

Hikaru let out the happiest laugh he had in him.

“She did it! She said a word! She said daddy!” He was jumping around the room, now. “When did you teach her that?”

“She did it for the first time yesterday. Wouldn’t stop saying it all day. I tried to call you, but it didn’t work.” Ben said, obviously expecting some kind of explanation.

“Something went wrong down in engineering, someone pressed the wrong button or something.”

 

Another year, another birthday, more tears. Hikaru had just about forgotten what it felt like to touch Ben, to hold him.

 

One more year, one more birthday. Demora could officially go off planet.

 

Ben took Demora to one of Starfleet’s ‘space bases,’ as he liked to call them, two months later. Hikaru was going to arrive in a week.

 

Ben had considered getting a haircut and buying a nice new outfit, until he remembered that the last time Hikaru saw him properly, he hadn’t shaved in a week, he had had about an hour of sleep and he’d put as little effort into his outfit as possible. Hikaru didn’t care what Ben looked like. He settled for buying a bunch of flowers instead.

Demora was wearing an adorable pale yellow dress, and she was unbelievably excited to finally meet her daddy.

Ben was trying to keep an eye on his daughter and look out for his husband at the same time; he was sitting nervously on a bench, his leg shaking uncontrollably.

He stood up as soon as he saw Kirk round the corner. “Dem, come here,” he called out to his daughter; she continued running around. His eyes were glued to the corner Hikaru was going to appear from any second now. He felt his heart skip a beat when he finally saw the familiar yellow shirt and black hair. “Hika!” He shouted, unable to run to Hikaru with a three year old holding onto him.

Hikaru turned towards the sound of his husband’s voice. He ran over to Ben as soon he saw him waving. They almost fell to the floor when they collided.

“Hello, my love.” Ben whispered into Hikaru’s ear as they held onto each other for dear life.

“Hello, my dear.” Hikaru let go of Ben and took the flowers that were handed to him, smiling from ear to ear. “Where’s Demora?”

Ben spotted Demora, now attempting to touch the water pouring out of a fountain a few metres away, and took Hikaru’s hand, leading him over to her. “Dem, come say hello!”

Demora took her hand away from the fountain and turned around to face Ben. Her whole body lit up at the sight of Hikaru; she jumped off the edge of the fountain, she smiled as big as her mouth would let her and her eyes seemed to glow with happiness.

Hikaru held his arms wide open as she ran towards him.

“Daddy!” She screamed when he scooped her up.

Hikaru kissed her over and over again, on the forehead, on the cheek; anywhere he could from where her head was perched on his shoulder. He lifted her up in the air and was immediately awestruck by how big she was. “Look at you!” He marvelled, putting her back down on her feet. “You’re nearly as tall as me!”

Demora giggled; she reached just above his knee.

 

The week that followed was filled to the brim with family outings they’d missed out on, all the cuddles and kisses they could fit in, and as many presents for Demora as she wanted (which wasn’t too many, Ben and Hikaru were thankful for).

They visited a Starfleet gift shop on Hikaru’s second day. Demora begged for a yellow shirt; Hikaru was happy to oblige. Ben bought himself a cap that said PILOT in big yellow letters on it, Hikaru thought it was cute.

Hikaru was nudged awake in the middle of the night by Ben, who was now wearing the cap. Hikaru didn’t understand why his husband felt the need to wake him up to show him something he’d already seen- until Ben tilted the cap down. He’d turned it into PILOT’S HUSBAND written half in pen instead. Hikaru thought it was even cuter.

Ben wore the cap to their picnic the following day.

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s when I realised this was going nowhere. Who knows, I might pick this up again and rewrite it with more of a plan, I may never speak of it again. Only time will telll.


End file.
